


Oh, Shit

by Kaytla



Series: Oh, Shit [1]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-06-22
Updated: 2012-10-30
Packaged: 2017-10-20 15:52:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/214417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaytla/pseuds/Kaytla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Don't get drunk in Vegas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Inuyasha opened his eyes and groaned as the sun drove fiery brands through his retinas right into his brain. His entire head throbbed mercilessly like someone was using the inside of his skull as a drum, and his stomach rolled uneasily, sending a wave of sour saliva into his mouth, quickly swallowed back down a dry and sandpapery throat before he puked.

_Hell of a fucking hangover_ , he thought blearily, managing to gracelessly slap a hand over his eyes to shield them. What the hell had he been thinking? He couldn't remember ever being this fucked up in his entire life. In fact, he realised, he couldn't remember _anything_. Where was he? How had he ended up here? The last thing he remembered was...

Oh, shit.

Miroku's bachelor party.

The dumb shit had thought it would be a good idea to come to fucking Vegas to "fully enjoy his last night of freedom". He should have told Sango. She'd have beat the miserable lech black and blue, and then Inuyasha wouldn't be feeling so fucking shitty. Selfish, perhaps, but hey, whatever helped the hangover.

Still didn't explain how and why he'd let himself get this smashed, though. He didn't remember much after getting to the hotel, checking into his suite and then heading out. They'd had dinner somewhere... somewhere nice. The food had been good, he remembered that much, even as the thought of eating made his stomach lurch. And the waitresses had been pretty.

After that, though... nothing.

"Fuck," he muttered to himself, voice gravelly. "As soon as I can get up, I'm gonna fucking kill you, Miroku."

That could wait, though. Right now, all he was interested in doing was burying his head under the pillows, not moving, not thinking, until he started feeling better. However, just as he began shifting to do that, he became very aware of pressure across his waist, and he paused. He was attractive enough, despite being a half-demon, to have had his fair share of lovers, so even his adled brain was able to tell it was an arm he was feeling.

And just like that, a little bit of the previous night returned to him. Skin as smooth as satin under his fingertips. Hair as soft as silk trailing over his skin. Passionate kisses, burning lust, and the most intense orgasms he'd had in a damn long time. Just little, indistinct flashes, but Inuyasha grinned despite the pain. Finally, some proof that this hangover was worth it.

But who was the girl? One of the waitresses from the restaurant? They'd been attractive enough, but he was sure he'd left the place without female companionship...

There were other alternatives. With Miroku dictating their "celebrations", he was certain they'd have ended up at a strip club or two. That was, after all, Miroku's main reason for coming to Vegas. But had he been hammered enough to bring a stripper back to the hotel with him?

His stomach turned over, and he decided that yes, he had been. More than enough. But whoever his partner was, he had to figure it out before they woke up. A one night stand was all well and good every now and again, but nothing spoiled a good sexual encounter more than the dreaded "what's your name again?" conversation. Especially if you were the only asshole who didn't remember.

Fucking Miroku, getting him into this mess. He was sure it was all that bastard's fault. Ever since he'd finally given in and committed himself fully to Sango - helped by the knowledge that Sango would tear his intestines out through his ass and strangle him with them if he ever cheated - he'd become a whole lot more interested in the sexual conquests of those around him. Living vicariously through his friends, Inuyasha supposed. And he'd been grateful more than once for Miroku's help scoring. But not now.

He should drag the bastard in here, make him deal with the girl and get rid of her. Or, better yet, call his fiance and tell her exactly where they were. With an evil grin, Inuyasha imagined the horror on Miroku's face when he woke up to Sango's screeching. He wouldn't do that, though. He wasn't that much of a jerk that he'd screw his best friend over like that. Even if he did deserve it.

So he had to deal with this himself. Time to bite the bullet and just look. It only occurred to him then that there was a very real possibility he'd had the infamous beer goggles last night and had brought a moose back to the hotel with him. He'd been wrong before - _that_ was what fucked up good sexual encounters most. He'd had no personal experience with it yet - he hoped - but he'd heard enough horror stories to never want one.

He took a deep breath. _Just look. Get it over with. Whatever you see, you can deal with it_.

He'd been lying on his stomach with his head facing the windows. He pushed himself up onto his elbows now, and slowly his head turned to look over at the other side of the bed.

Every drop of blood he had chilled so fast, he thought he could feel it freezing.

No way.

No _fucking way_.

The horror he felt right then, no words could describe. His nausea vanished instantly so that his stomach could cringe and shrivel with mortification. His mouth hung open, and all he could think was that this had to be a mistake. This couldn't be real.

A nightmare, he decided. Result of the hangover. He wasn't fully awake yet. He had to be drifting, dreaming, and conjuring up all sorts of horrid shit in his mind. He hadn't stopped staring yet, but he forced his eyes closed then and pinched his arm as hard as he could without making himself yelp. He felt that, so he had to be awake now. If he just opened his eyes, everything would be ok again...

_Fuck!_ Still there!

And just what the fuck was stuck up _Sesshomaru_ doing in Vegas?

Important though the question was, Inuyasha decided it could wait. Everything could wait until he was out of this damn bed. Gracelessly, he managed to drag himself over to the edge of the bed and flop out, standing up on wobbly legs with the cover still clutched in his hands. He tugged at it, wanting something to shield his nudity with, but just as quickly stopped again, the horror rising once more.

Sesshomaru was stretched out gracefully on his side, his body relaxed, his sleeping face serene and peaceful. And as the covers slid down his body, Inuyasha realised his brother was just as naked as he was. When the blanket revealed only skin on the swell of Sesshomaru's hip, Inuyasha dropped it like it had burned him and snatched a pillow instead, holding it in front of his groin. That done, he promptly collapsed onto the floor again, managing to support himself with one arm while the other clutched the pillow like a shield.

Ok. So he'd quite possibly had sex with his evil half-brother. He could deal with that. It meant the end of life as he knew it, but he could deal. He could even run. Sure, Sesshomaru would know he'd been there from his scent in the room, most particularly in the bed, but all he had to do was avoid the bastard for a few years, and hopefully by then the whole situation will have boiled down. At least enough that both of them could ignore that it had ever happened.

Inuyasha glanced back at the bed. Sesshomaru hadn't even so much as twitched, proving that he'd been at least as wasted as Inuyasha last night. There was no other reason for the youkai to be so unresponsive. Had he been sober, he would have awoken the moment Inuyasha made a single sound.

Which only led to more questions. What unlikely set of circumstances had led to Sesshomaru turning up drunk in Vegas? Had they got smashed together or had they just met up that way? He had no fucking idea. But something had definitely happened. A very naughty something that was pushing on the edges of his consciousness, just waiting to be remembered. It could keep waiting, because he sure as hell didn't want to remember shit like that.

His head hurt too much for this shit! Inuyasha groaned and rubbed both hands over his face in a poor attempt to wake himself up more, then scowled as something hard dug into his nose. A flash of gold caught his eye and his mind zeroed in on it as his hands pulled away, before freezing completely in shock.

Ring. Left hand. Gold ring.

"Holy shit," he breathed, staring at his hand. Starting to feel panicked, he looked over at Sesshomaru again. The daiyoukai's left hand was pillowing his head, but when Inuyasha squinted - yes, there it was. Just a slight hint of gold peeking out between his fingers, partially shrouded by his long silver hair. Bile rose up in Inuyasha's throat, sour and acidic.

Oh, God.

"Fuck," Inuyasha said faintly, then louder: "Fuck! What the fuck did we do?!"


	2. Chapter 2

He came to when a voice shouted nearby. His eyes snapped open, and immediately pain exploded everywhere inside his skull. His stomach rebelled then, an unpleasant and unfamilar sensation, threatening to throw everything it contained back up. For a youkai who never experienced illness or even headaches, the whole came together to form an extremely unsettling feeling.

"Shut up!" he barked at the voice, and blessed silence fell. He rolled onto his back with great effort and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes to block out the light. What was this infernal feeling? Where had it come from? He had no memory of what had happened to him since his business meeting in Las Vegas. Was he still there? Had he been moved? Had he been attacked?

No, that was ludicrous. Though a blow to the head could account for his symptoms, even this nausea, the idea that something so small as a head injury could render the feared and revered Sesshomaru immobile and without his memory was laughable. So what, then, had done this to him?

And why was he so _thirsty_?

Dehydration was another ailment the daiyoukai was not familiar with. Superior to mortals, he could survive, if necessary, for weeks, if not months without fluids. So why, then, was his mouth so dry? The damn throbbing in his head clouded his memory and muddled his thoughts, and Sesshomaru cursed mentally, hating the lack of his usual mental acuity.

Whoever was responsible for this was going to die by inches.

First, though, some water for his parched throat. The world spun dizzily as he pushed himself upright, but he gritted his teeth and ignored it, opening his eyes to the barest of slits. He vaguely recognised his surroundings as the hotel suite his secretary had booked for him for his overnight stay in Nevada. Good. One concern erased.

He heaved himself to his feet with none of his usual grace and managed a half-staggering walk toward the small kitchen in his suite, supporting himself with one hand braced against the walls and furniture he passed. Being unbalanced was yet another grievance to add to his growing list; he was making sure to keep track so that he could repay each and every indignity tenfold once he found the culprit responsible.

The step up into the kitchen area seemed like monumental effort and he barely suppressed a groan. His slitted golden eyes flickered over a decorative bowl of fruit, and immediately his stomach reacted, spilling a mix of sour saliva and bile into his mouth. Resisting the urge to do something so undignified as spit in the sink, Sesshomaru forced it back down with difficulty.

Someone was going to suffer for this.

He pulled a glass towards him and rested it on the countertop, reaching into the minibar for a chilled bottle of water, which he then began to empty into the glass. As he did so, he ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth, grateful for the moisture despite the horrible taste that came with it. In fact... it tasted slightly familiar, under the acid leftovers of the bile.

Alcohol, he realised. It was some sort of alcoholic beverage. More than one, judging from the mixed and indistinguishable flavour. Like a lightbulb turning on, the answer suddenly came to him: a hangover. He was actually hungover, of all things.

He could be forgiven, thoughts as sluggish as they were, for not realising this sooner. Ever since he had been a child, he had been a youkai of ironclad control and poise. As such, even in what for most were wild teen years, he had never once drunk to excess and so had no firsthand knowledge of the syptoms. He saw what it did to those around him and wanted nothing of it. Even now, he limited himself to one or two drinks at a time and no more, and only then as a form of social lubricant as part of business. It was only now, years later, that he realised how right he had been for staying clear. This was not something he ever wanted to experience again.

He lifted the now filled glass to his lips and took a sip, and as he did so, he noticed a blur of movement out the corner of his eye. Memory of the voice that had woken him slammed back into him, and he tensed. He was not alone in the room. Damn this hangover. His senses were not only dulled, but completely ineffective. He could not tell if the intruder was ningen or youkai. His head jerked round and he saw -

"Inuyasha?" he said blankly.

Inuyasha? In his hotel room? _Naked_?

The hanyou in question had frozen after being discovered, two pillows pressed pathetically to the front and back of his hips. He looked as miserable and uncomfortable as Sesshomaru felt, which mollified the demon slightly, but he still considered the half-breed guilty of _something_ until proven innocent.

"What did you do, hanyou?" he demanded, glaring suspicion. "What happened last night? Why are you in my hotel room? And for Kami's sake, put some clothes on!"

Under the barrage of questions, Inuyasha looked more and more irritated until he finally snapped. "I didn't do shit!" he growled, sounding like he needed the water as much as Sesshomaru. "And I don't know what happened. I don't know where my clothes are, either. For all I know, you dragged me back here like some caveman and molested me!"

Sesshomaru actually blanched at the image. "Preposterous! I always knew you had a foul mouth, Inuyasha, but I hadn't realised you had a mind to match! If you've mislain your clothes, don't lay the blame at my feet, you disgraceful hanyou. I had nothing to do with it."

Inuyasha glared at him. "Oh, yeah? Tell me, then, smart-ass... where are _your_ clothes?"

Reflexively, Sesshomaru glanced down, then let out an oath. He quickly sidestepped until his lower half was hidden completely behind the kitchen counters and glared right back at Inuyasha, as though it was the hanyou's fault he hadn't noticed. He could acknowledge that the gesture meant little, since Inuyasha had been looking at him for a good minute or two before he moved, but he felt better for the shift. And it probably was his fault, in the long run. Sesshomaru couldn't fathom a single reason why he himself would choose to become intoxicated. Particularly not to that extreme.

Following that logic, Sesshomaru once again laid the blame on his half-brother. "What have you done with them? If you dared lay your hands on my person last night, I _will_ kill you."

Look murderous himself, Inuyasha changed direction from his interrupted escape and stomped into the sitting room. "I told you, I _didn't do shit_. Are you deaf, or just stupid?" He flopped into an armchair and rubbed at his throat. "Can you get me something to drink, for fuck's sake? My throat feels like it's been rubbed raw with sandpaper."

Sesshomaru's fists clenched into claws, ready to pounce on the hanyou and beat an answer out of him, but he jerked open the minibar door yet again and pulled out another bottle of water. Then he turned and threw it at Inuyasha. Even suffering with a hangover, his aim was perfect; the bottle hit him on the head directly with a satisfying _thud_ , eliciting a startled yelp that brought a smile to Sesshomaru's face even as the sound grated on him.

" _What the fuck_!?" Inuyasha shouted, the sound not nearly as pleasing. "What the hell is wrong with you, you sadistic asshole?"

Sesshomaru leaned on the countertop, fixing the glaring hanyou with an unfriendly look of his own. "Get out of my room, half-breed. Leave the pillows. Be grateful I allow you that water, but know I only gave it to you to make your voice just that little bit less grating on the ears."

Inuyasha looked like he'd prefer nothing more than to leave, but instead he stubbornly shook his head. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, and Inuyasha seemed to take that as an invitation to talk. "There's one thing... that I know happened last night. A big thing. We need to... talk about it."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What is this 'big thing'?"

Inuyasha hesitated, then held up his fist, raising one finger. At first, Sesshomaru thought Inuyasha had the nerve to stick his middle finger up at him, but then his analytical mind caught up and made him aware of the gold ring on the hanyou's finger. The ring finger. A wedding band.

His gut went cold, his nausea doubling. A 'big thing' that involved the two of them...? Surely not. Please, Kami, no. With great trepidation, Sesshomaru looked down at his own hand, then shoved it down out of sight. A ring. A ring on his finger. On _that_ finger. It was a ningen custom, not youkai, but it legally bound them nonetheless.

Bound. To Inuyasha. To his weak, tainted half-brother.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes. "Oh, shit."


	3. Chapter 3

Sesshomaru shouting at him had successfully shut him up, but it didn't stop Inuyasha being pissed as soon as the daiyoukai dragged himself out of bed. He had remained unnaturally still on the floor beside the bed, almost holding his breath in anticipation of Sesshomaru noticing him and turning on him, glaring all the while.

God damn Sesshomaru. Why did he have to be the best at _everything_? Though he did look a bit like a girl, Inuyasha would grudgingly admit Sesshomaru was the best looking of the two of them. He was a head taller, his shoulders broader, his skin clear and pale over solid muscles, and his _damn hair_ \- Inuyasha knew his own must look like a scruffy bird's nest after a night on the town, but there was hardly a kink in Sesshomaru's. It just flowed right down his back like a silver waterfall over that tight, hard ass -

 _Wait, don't go there. Not after whatever freaky shit went down last night._

Where was he? Oh, right.

Sesshomaru was also the smartest. The best at martial arts and with the katana. People tripped over themselves just to stand close to him, and they'd happily trample all over Inuyasha to get to him. Sesshomaru also had the fancy, high-paying career and lived the lavish lifestyle. Sure, Inuyasha had never coveted the kind of fame and success and material wealth Sesshomaru had, but if he'd thought he could beat the bastard at it, he would have given it a shot.

And now this. Whoever ran the cosmos was either seriously fucked in the head or they had a major Jones for a taste of Sesshomaru. It pissed him off even more when he considered what may well have happened last night. If they really had done... _that_... then he could _guarantee_ he got the short end of the stick out of the arrangement. Well... not exactly _short_ , but that was irrelevant. Sesshomaru was too much of a control freak and he was too damn agreeable when he got smashed for it to have happened any other way.

He'd never been more thankful for the healing abilities that came with his demonic blood.

Seriously, the fates or whoever was running things was out to get him. Couldn't a hanyou catch a break? Especially because Sesshomaru was such an asshole. Why did he get all the perks? Didn't they realise this kind of shit was important to guys? In what twisted, fucked up universe was it fair that the evil bastard got the bigger dick?

This new affront was partly why he'd decided it was wise to leave. Mostly, though, it was because he expected Sesshomaru was likely to be in as foul a mood as he was, and no one wanted to be around the daiyoukai when he was angry. Especially not him. Serious injury usually followed, particularly where Inuyasha was concerned. There was also the worry that Sesshomaru had planned this. Why he would, Inuyasha didn't know, but the bastard could be seriously sick and sadistic sometimes.

He'd tried to be quiet and stealthy. Rather than risk looking for his clothes, he'd just grabbed another pillow, held it over his ass, and crept toward the door. He'd rather face the embarrassment of running around a hotel starkers then face an angry Sesshomaru. But, of course, fate fucked him over yet again and Sesshomaru spotted him before he'd even got halfway.

In the resulting argument, he'd learned at least that Sesshomaru rememebred about as much as he did. Made it slightly less likely this was all part of some diabolical plan to screw him over - literally. And he had to agree with Sesshomaru's pithy summary - _oh, shit_ was right. He had no idea what the hell they were meant to do. He did, however, plan to strangle Miroku at the earliest opportunity. Even if it solved no problems, it'd make him feel better.

He unscrewed the bottle Sesshomaru had thrown at him - he'd get the wanker back for that, just wait - and took a big gulp, glancing over to where the youkai stood, staring into space as though in a trance. Trying to make sense of what had happened, Inuyasha supposed. Couldn't blame him. It was pretty fucked up, waking up in Vegas to realise you'd married and quite possibly screwed your worst enemy. He could think of better ways for his night to have ended. That stripper was sounding real good about now. Hell, he'd even be happy with the beer goggle moose if it meant he wasn't fucking married to fucking Sesshomaru.

Shit, what a mess.

And now he needed to piss. Wonderful though the water had been for his throat, it was not quite as useful for his bladder. Hastily putting the cap back on the bottle, he stood and headed deeper into the large suite, sparing only a muttered explanation that he needed to take a leak to the catatonic daiyoukai. Sesshomaru either didn't hear him or just plain ignored him; either way, he paid no attention to Inuyasha's movements, so the hanyou ignored him right back.

Just outside the bathroom door, he found a wad of red fabric. He toed at it curiously, and it straightened out into the form of a T-shirt. "Hey, I found my shirt!" he called back toward the kitchen, but there was again no response. Not that he cared. His luck was starting to improve. Now if he could just find his jeans, he wouldn't have to carry these pillows around like a dumbass.

He was in such good spirits over the promise of finally locating his clothes that he didn't once stop to consider just why his shirt was discarded on the ground outside Sesshomaru's bathroom. That, however, changed when he opened the door and stopped. Just stopped.

The bathroom was a mess. It looked like a mini tornado had formed in someone's wardrobe and then had a hell of a time scattering all their clothes around the spacious room. There was a suit jacket barely hanging over the toilet. A dress shirt was in the basin. Finely tailored trousers were on the floor. A pair of Italian loafers were just outside the shower, piled haphazardly with his scuffed trainers. Sesshomaru's clothes from last night, he'd bet. He did love his suits.

Following the trail of chaos to the shower, Inuyasha located his jeans in a sodden pile at the bottom. Even with a sluggish brain and a malfunctioning nose, he was starting to put two and two together.

The fun had started in the shower, obviously. Now that he was paying attention, he could smell the sex. It was almost overpowering coming from the shower; he was just glad his nose had still been on the fritz when he first woke up, because he could _tell_ this was him and Sesshomaru. Just fucking great. His mouth was set in a grim line as he set down his pillow and gingerly plucked at the jeans with his claws, straightening them out.

"Oh, ew! Fucking gross!" Trapped in the folds and protected from the rushing water was a stain of suspicious nature. He flat out refused to acknowledge what it was and threw the jeans back down, prepared to burn them once they'd dried out completely. Another, larger stain about waist-high on the shower door went similarly unacknowledged as Inuyasha picked up his pillow and backed back out, marching to the door and awkwardly fumbling it open.

"Hey, asshole!" he shouted to Sesshomaru. "I found our clothes!"

That got Sesshomaru's attention, at least. It was a matter of moments before he was sweeping into the room, a sheet clutched around his waist, surveying the mess with distaste. He then rounded on Inuyasha.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, taking in the whole bathroom with a wide arc of his arm. "What happened here?"

"Use your nose," Inuyasha replied flatly.

Sesshomaru glared at him, but inhaled deeply through his nose - then went as rigid as if a pole had been shoved up his ass. "I see," he said tightly.

An awkward silence descended then, neither meeting the other's eyes.

"Well," Inuyasha finally said, just to fill the silence. "I need to take a leak, so..." He inclined his head toward the door.

Sesshomaru snapped out of it and returned to his usual stuck up self in the blink of an eye. "You will wait your turn, half-breed."

"What!?" Inuyasha squawked. "I got here first, so I get to piss first!"

"It's my bathroom."

"I don't give a shit! You're not -"

He was cut off by a rough hand bodily shoving him from the room. With his hands occupied, he was unable to defend against such an attack and thudded into the wall opposite the door with a curse. By the time he'd rebounded back, ready to kick Sesshomaru's ass, the door was just slamming in his face.

For a moment, he stared, outraged, at the door, then he blinked and growled. "You're a fucking bastard, Sesshomaru, you know that? Asshole!" Inuyasha seethed. "You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna find your suitcase and piss on your clothes! Take that, you jerk!"

He turned from the door and began to stomp away from the bathroom, fully prepared to do just that, when Sesshomaru's clipped voice floated through the door. "If you so much as think about it, hanyou, I will castrate you."

In spite of himself, Inuyasha stopped. Coming from anyone else, that threat would mean nothing. He'd even find it funny. But from Sesshomaru...? Not only did the bastard probably have enough strength to pin him long enough, but he was probably sadistic enough to go through with it, too. Bastard.

Growling to himself, determined to piss Sesshomaru off _somehow_ , Inuyasha walked back into the sitting room and looked around. His eyes flickered over the kitchen sink and he smiled. Absolutely perfect.

He tossed his pillows onto the countertop and hopped over it in one clean motion, too desperate to worry about his hangover, then dragged a chair over to the counter. He climbed up, faced the sink, and then... _relief_. He tilted his head back and let out a long, happy sigh as his bladder began to empty into the ceramic basin with a merry tinkling sound.

He grinned at the ceiling. If this didn't piss Sesshomaru off, he'd eat his pillows. Maybe it might even teach the asshole something about proper bathroom etiquette. The thought barely formed before he heard the toilet flush and the door open, followed by the soft sounds of Sesshomaru's feet on the carpet.

"Very well, Inuyasha, you may use - _what in Kami's name do you think you're doing?!_ "


	4. Chapter 4

Inuyasha turned his head just enough to give Sesshomaru a flat look. “What does it look like I’m doing, asshole? I’m pissing. And it’s your fault I have to do this.” He paused while Sesshomaru’s jaw worked in silent outrage, and then added: “And don’t look at my dick, either.”

This affront seemed to be the last straw for the daiyoukai, for he threw all decorum aside and bodily leapt at Inuyasha. It was a stroke of luck that the impressive stream of piss had just come to an end, or the hanyou would have been forced to keep spraying as he dived out of the way, leaving his pillows behind on the counter.

Finding himself stark naked in Sesshomaru’s living room – and it was only then that he noticed Sesshomaru had discarded his sheet and put on last night’s trousers to cover his nudity - with said youkai having a violent mood swing, Inuyasha did the prudent thing and bolted for the nearest door and back into the bedroom. He grabbed a small chair that was sitting beside an equally small table used for God knows what and wedged it under the door handle just in time for Sesshomaru to follow, banging on the door and jiggling the handle.

Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief. Sesshomaru may be pissed, but he apparently wasn’t pissed enough to start destroying hotel property, so there was a chance he wouldn’t eviscerate Inuyasha as soon as he got hold of him. A small chance, but it was better than nothing.

“Inuyasha!” Sesshomaru shouted through the door. “Remove yourself from my suite immediately!”

“Fuck you!” Inuyasha replied tersely, turning away from the door and scanning the room, taking care not to stare at the bed. If he could afford to pay for a replacement, he would burn the damn thing and all the secrets and smells it carried. For the latter was bad now, even more overwhelming than in the bathroom. Whatever had happened there had just been foreplay.

With perfect timing, Sesshomaru said tartly, “No, I believe it was you who was fucked, not I.”

Inuyasha’s hackles rose immediately and he bit back a growl. Yeah, he expected that was the way it had gone down, but there was no way in fucking hell he was letting Sesshomaru believe that.

He took a deep, calming breath and then shouted back, “How do you figure that, asshole? You don’t even remember anything that happened last night!”

“And you do?” was the knowing reply.

“Enough to be surprised you ain’t fucking limping!”

“Your lying is of abysmal quality, Inuyasha.”

“So is your ass,” Inuyasha deadpanned.

A gusty sigh. “You are so infantile. I am going to place a call to the front desk. If you are not out of my suite by the time I return, I will come in there to get you.”

“Whatever,” Inuyasha snorted, rolling his eyes.

He waited until Sesshomaru’s footsteps had moved away and then rubbed a hand hard over his nose to try and displace the smell of sex that coated the room. He then zeroed in on the wardrobe. He needed something to cover himself, even if it was one of Sesshomaru’s nasty suits.

A rifle through the wardrobe turned up one small travel case. Sure enough, there was a pressed suit sitting in the bottom, no doubt what Sesshomaru planned to wear for his return flight. Inuyasha grinned evilly and threw the shirt and jacket haphazardly over the bed, enjoying the creases forming in the expensive fabrics.

That’d teach his brother to be such a jerkwad, he thought, as he pulled on the trousers. He stood and checked himself out in the mirror. The legs were a bit too long and scuffed against the floor, but since they belonged to Sesshomaru, he really didn’t give a shit. And he had to admit it was made of a damn nice material. It wasn’t silk, but it was almost as soft, and very light. Maybe these suits weren’t so bad after all.

The same could not be said for the bastard who wore them. Though he had dismissed Sesshomaru’s warning, he knew the threat was valid, and he knew he wouldn’t like what the bastard did when he came through that door. It was a lesson hard learned from early on in his life when, admittedly, he had deliberately annoyed Sesshomaru, but still felt like the victim after having unholy wrath rained down upon him disproportionate to his crime.

Really, what asshole knocked his pre-teen younger brother unconscious and locked him bound and gagged in a closet just for spying on him?

Leaving was the best course of action for the time being. He was well aware they needed to sort out this marriage bullshit before they left Vegas – and if he ever found out who started the phrase “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”, he’d skin them on principle – but they needed some time apart to calm down before they killed each other.

He put the chair back where it had been before and quietly creaked open the door, the furry triangles of his ears standing straight up. He could hear the soft murmur of Sesshomaru’s voice further in the suite and guessed he was still on the phone. Good. His shitty luck was starting to improve.

Quietly as he could, he snuck out of the bedroom and closed the door gingerly, then paused. His ears flicked. No change in the timbre of Sesshomaru’s voice. Good.

Hating even the very idea of sneaking away from Sesshomaru’s wrath, Inuyasha nonetheless began his slow, agonising tiptoeing towards freedom, his ears constantly twitching on top of his snowy white head as he kept listening for the end of Sesshomaru’s phone call.

It was utterly humiliating to run away from Sesshomaru. He always stood his ground when his brother was being a dick. But tensions were running higher than usual and he didn’t want to have an all out fight with the asshole when he still felt hungover as shit – his inuyoukai healing was doing its part, but he still felt pretty messed up.

He just had to get out the door into the hallway. Once there, he was free –

“I sincerely hope those are not my trousers you are wearing, Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru said icily.

Inuyasha jumped a foot in the air and spun around in time to see Sesshomaru disconnecting the call on the cordless phone and placing it with exaggerated calm in its cradle. He looked at Sesshomaru’s furious face, then down at the trousers he was wearing, and then back at Sesshomaru.

“I needed something to wear,” he said defensively.

“Your own clothes are in the bathroom.” Sesshomaru took a measured step toward him and Inuyasha took one back.

“But they’re wet,” he argued, looking back over his shoulder. So close to freedom...

“That is not my problem,” Sesshomaru replied, his voice almost dripping icicles. “If you do not remove them immediately, I will strip them from you myself.”

“You want to strip me naked, huh? I guess we can say last night was your fault, then,” Inuyasha shot back snarkily. He instantly regretted it; now was not the time to bait Sesshomaru, but old habits die hard and he didn’t always think before he opened his mouth.

Sesshomaru’s expression turned apoplectic with rage and Inuyasha did the only smart thing he could: he bolted for the door.

He wrenched it open and sped out into the plush carpeted hallway, almost tripping over the cuffs that fluttered around his feet, but didn’t slow down. He had to get away from the door. Sesshomaru was so prim, he’d never chase after him half-naked, which meant he’d have to go back and get a shirt, thereby giving Inuyasha an extra thirty seconds to get out of the hotel and into a cab –

The door crashed open again behind him and Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to see Sesshomaru charging after him... without a shirt on.

“Oh, shit!” he yelled and launched himself down a flight of stairs, almost bowling over an old couple along the way. He didn’t even have time to shout an apology over his shoulder, too busy fleeing for his life.

He didn’t get very far. After running down another flight of stairs and spilling out into another hallway, he could feel the heat of Sesshomaru’s youki almost burning the skin of his back, meaning he was but a matter of steps behind him. Damn the bastard and his longer legs!

Desperate, Inuyasha made a beeline for a bellboy helping a young couple get settled into their room and, just as Sesshomaru’s claws were about to tear strips off him, he let out a high-pitched wail worthy of any horror movie actress.

As planned, it brought Sesshomaru up short, surprised. Inuyasha took advantage of it to back away and put some distance between them again. When Sesshomaru began to move once more, looking absolutely murderous, Inuyasha flung out a hand and pointed at him.

“Spousal abuse!” he yelled as loudly as he could, drawing gasps from the young couple. The bellboy reached hesitantly for what Inuyasha presumed was a mobile phone, ready to call for assistance, and Sesshomaru paused again, off balance.

What happened after that, Inuyasha had no idea, because he ran again, almost falling headlong down the stairs in his haste. A matter of seconds passed before Sesshomaru’s youki blazed with outrage and he began his pursuit all over again.

“Inuyasha!” he shouted, almost a growl in his anger. “Get back here this instant!”

“Fuck off!” Inuyasha shot back, racing along another corridor to _another_ flight of stairs. Just how many floors did this damn hotel have?!

But the next hallway he found himself in was familiar. Very familiar. He could even detect his old scent from the night before when he checked in. How he and Sesshomaru had managed to check into the same hotel without at least one of them realising the other was there, he had no idea.

Still, it meant he had nowhere to run and was now royally screwed if he couldn’t get Sesshomaru to calm down. How the fuck he was meant to do that, he didn’t know.

All time to consider his options evaporated as Sesshomaru finally caught up to him, getting his claws around his throat and slamming him against the wall hard enough to rattle both the lights hanging on the wall and Inuyasha’s brain inside his skull. Dazed, the hanyou shouted the first thing that came to mind.

“Truce!”

Amazingly, Sesshomaru’s acid-tipped right hand stopped mere inches from Inuyasha’s face at the same moment Inuyasha’s hands reflexively gripped his wrist.

“Truce?” he repeated derisively. “Why should I stay my hand after the insults you have visited upon me, you wretched half-breed?”

Counting himself very lucky to not have his flesh melting off its bones, Inuyasha didn’t rise to the insult as he usually would have. Thinking fast with his brain still vibrating from the impact was difficult, but he gave it his best shot.

“Look... we’re both a little upset about what happened last night,” he said slowly, his voice coming out a little hoarse as he struggled to speak around the tight grip Sesshomaru had on his throat. “What we need is to just take a couple hours away from each other to calm the fuck down and wrap our heads around all the shit that happened.”

Sesshomaru’s grip relaxed slightly, but didn’t release entirely. Still, he seemed to be considering the suggestion. Inuyasha drew in a deep breath.

“We’re not gonna be able to fix this if we’re constantly at each other’s throats,” he added pointedly.

“Hm.” Sesshomaru’s hands returned to his sides and the acrid smell of acid all but vanished from the hallway. “Very well. A truce for the time being. Tread lightly, Inuyasha, for there will be no others. I will return for you in an hour.”

With that, Sesshomaru turned and left, walking as regally and confidently as though he’d been wearing a tailored three-piece suit instead of running around half-naked and barefoot.

Inuyasha waited until his footsteps had completely vanished before moving himself, not quite trusting Sesshomaru’s retreat after seeing him in such a violent mood. His room was right at the end of the hall, almost opposite the flight of stairs that led to the lobby, and he automatically patted his pockets before realising his card key was probably still in his jeans... along with his wallet and phone, which were all in a sodden, stained heap in the bottom of Sesshomaru’s shower.

Shit.

He banged on the door with his fist. “Miroku!” Not a sound. “Get the fuck out of bed, you lazy monk!”

Still not a sound from within the room. He banged harder and shouted his friend’s name louder. Finally, he heard the sound of something being toppled over and pressed his ear to the door, where he could hear a few snatches of Miroku’s muttering.

“Damn hanyou... can’t use his key... fucking hungover...”

Inuyasha grinned ferally. He didn’t know or care what Sesshomaru was going to do to calm down, but he had _plans_. He cracked his knuckles and waited with admirable patience for his friend to open the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Sesshomaru, still battling down the urge to tear Inuyasha’s foul voice box from his throat in honour of their truce, only made it up a single flight of stairs before being accosted by hotel management.

“Mr. Takahashi!” the portly man called as he jogged up the stairs behind Sesshomaru. “Please wait!”

The daiyoukai turned an imposing glare on the manager whose name escaped him. It was rather difficult for anyone to manage to look like an intimidating and powerful youkai of wealth and stature when they were indecently exposed and barefoot, but Sesshomaru had spent a considerable amount of time perfecting the technique. The fact that the nervous manager was human helped; he would have felt even more ridiculous than he already did had the man been another youkai.

After waiting a thirty second stretch in awkward silence, the man’s nervousness overflowed in a stream of words that spewed out without discernible pause in an impressive display of lung capacity.

“I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Takahashi, but we’ve received numerous reports of a disturbance involving a demon with silver hair and golden eyes, and although you were the only one I could remember who had checked in –”

So Inuyasha had gone unnoticed, both checking in and during the commotion the imbecile had created. Sesshomaru had never expected to envy the way the hanyou was invisible to the upper classes.

“– I was certain it couldn’t be you, but the other guests insisted I do something, so I came up here to check and inform you of the situation and found you here, and –”

“And you assume this Sesshomaru had something to do with this... commotion,” Sesshomaru interrupted, his voice dropping to a few degrees below freezing.

The manager visibly paled, his mouth opening and closing like a bulbous fish gasping for air. Sesshomaru overrode him before he could get out what he was trying to say.

There were two ways to convince the manager beyond doubt that he had absolutely nothing to do with the ruckus Inuyasha had caused: persuasion or intimidation. Feeling strained already, he had no inclination or patience to exert his considerable powers of persuasion and distract the human with wit and charm, and so instead he took the blunt, less diplomatic approach.

“If I am to expect to be insulted every time I stay at this establishment, I will be sure to take my patronage to another hotel,” he continued coldly, his eyes narrowing dangerously, and he watched with some satisfaction as the manager immediately began bowing and scraping and spouting pointless apologies.

Despite the daiyoukai’s suspicious appearance and his close proximity to the disturbance that had occurred, it worked, and he knew then and there he had no need for further threats. In situations like these, he could never be sure if it was fear of his youkai nature or loss of his money that so easily changed opinions. The ripple effects of him shunning this hotel would cause the administration to have collective heart failure.

"Enough," he said sharply, raising a hand and startling the portly little man into silence. "Ensure this does not appen again."

He turned and left without another word, leaving the manager behind in the middle of his stammered apologies, not sparing a glance back.

He kept his eyes straight ahead as he climbed all the way up to his penthouse suite, favouring the stairs over the elevator as a chance to work out some of his tension over the spectacle Inuyasha had dragged him into. He ignored the stares of those he passed, deigning them as beneath his notice, but he was acutely aware of each and every set of eyes that followed him. The rumours that flew from this debacle would affect his professional standing for some time to come.

The daiyoukai swept into his suite still in a foul mood. The maid he'd sent for to take care of the bathroom and bedroom was already there and well into her task; he noted, by scent alone, Inuyasha's clothing was resting on top of her cart, meaning she had begun in the bathroom as he had demanded.

Indeed, as he glanced over at the door in question, she emerged, whistling a cheerful tune and carrying an armload of cleaning supplies, which she nearly dropped as she noticed him. He watched her eyes skim over his bare torso and saw the flush creep into her cheeks and barely managed not to snarl at her. He wished he had stopped for a shirt before he chased after his insufferable younger brother; he had no patience to deal with the infatuation of a mortal girl.

"Are you almost finished?" he asked curtly, snapping the girl out of her daze.

"Ah, yes, sir - I mean, no, sir. Sorry, sir." Flustered, she paused, took a deep breath, and tried again. "I'm finished in the bathroom, but I still need to clean the bedroom as you requested, Mr. Takahashi."

He almost ground his teeth in annoyance. "Very well. Finish and leave. I am not to be disturbed."

Turning away from the maid, Sesshomaru began to walk toward the bathroom. He intended to cleanse himself once and for all of any lingering trace of Inuyasha's scent and hopefully unwind some of the tension in his body; after that, he would go and collect the hanyou so that they could sort out the mess they had landed themselves in - or, rather, Inuyasha had landed them in.

On his way, he passed the maid's cart and paused. Inuyasha's clothes were balled up in a sodden mess, and an offending scent still clung to them. Glancing back at the still flustered maid, he pointed a single, slender finger at them.

"Destroy those."

"Yes, sir," the maid replied, eager to please, not yet considering the strangeness of the request. Sesshomaru dismissed her from his mind after the next step, continuing on to the suite's bathroom, but just as he reached the door, she asserted herself back into his awareness.

"Oh - uh, Mr. Takahashi - sir?" she called out hesitantly. Sesshomaru stopped and slowly turned so that he could see her over his shoulder.

"Yes?" said coolly and in a voice that could in no way be mistaken for pleasant.

She seemed to wilt under his stare. "I'm sorry, sir - it's just - in the jeans, I found a cell phone, a wallet and a hotel key card. I would have left them where they were, but they were wet, and..." Her voice fizzled out under his flat gaze. "I'm sorry. Do you... do you want those to be destroyed as well?"

Sesshomaru continued to stare for a long while as he weighed the pros and cons. Tempting as it was to cause Inuyasha frustration as retribution for his own troubles, he knew he would need the hanyou's cooperation for the foreseeable future. If that meant he had to be the first to miss an opportunity to strike at Inuyasha, so be it.

"Leave them in the kitchen," he finally said, and stepped into the bathroom without another word, locking the door behind him. His expression turned grim almost immediately.

It was no fault of the maid's; he could admit that, even with his current mood. There was a delicately floral scent in the air from her top range cleaning products, and everything was spotless and gleaming. No suspicious stains marred the glass of the shower stall and no clothes spilled haphazardly across the floor. It was an improvement to how he'd last viewed this room.

There was nothing amiss with it to a human's senses. But to a youkai's nose, it was an entirely different story.

That pitiful sweet fragrance the maid had spread around the room could not hope to cover the smells of fornication. It only laid a thin veneer over the top that made it all the more nauseating.

Resolved to ignore it, Sesshomaru began to run a bath. He would not go near that shower again for the remainder of his stay in this room, he decided, glaring at it. He might eve change rooms - or hotels, for that matter.

He had suspected coming to the den of iniquity that was Las Vegas had been a bad idea when it had been proposed to him. But the client could have been an excellent source of revenue for his company had they been willing to budge. His instincts had told him not to go; the rest of the board had insisted he make the trip.

And so far, it had been a complete disaster.

Never again would Sesshomaru doubt his instincts, he thought decisively. He pulled off his trousers and tossed them carelessly to the ground; he'd never wear them again. With a sigh, he sank into the warm water, getting down to the business of scrubbing the hanyou's scent from his skin.

The actions brought his thoughts back around to his brother. Just what circumstances had brought them together, inebriated beyond the point of having a shred of common sense between them? Frowning, the daiyoukai closed his eyes and sunk lower into the water, replaying the events of the previous night he [i]did[/i] remember.

He'd gone to the hotel's restaurant and bar to meet his clients, as they'd requested. It had been a late meeting, much to his displeasure; he'd been scheduled for an early flight back to London.

Sesshomaru grimaced. He'd forgotten about that. Another inconvenience to thank Inuyasha and indulgence in alcohol for.

The meeting had been a complete waste of time. Moreover, it would have been humiliating for a lesser demon. It had become apparent by the end that these potential share holders had only invited him to Las Vegas to eat and drink at his expense and listen to him talk about offers they had no interest in taking.

He'd left, in the end, unwilling to be the night's entertainment, but it had made him angry. The memory still did. And it was that anger that had led him to the bar.

He'd only partaken in water at dinner, while his hosts had drunk to their heart's content. But just then, he'd wanted something strong to settle the burn of anger in his stomach before he did something that, while satisfying, would have reflected poorly on both his social standing and his company.

After that, though, the memory started growing hazy. Furrowing his brow, Sesshomaru concentrated until finally, finally, it started to come back to him.

He'd felt the fool's youki before he actually saw him, but decided to stay put. Just the perfect end to the evening, he remembered thinking sarcastically. And it hadn't taken long for Inuyasha to find him, even as drunk as he was.

"'Shomaru?" he'd slurred in surprise. "Why're you here?"

Stifling a sigh, Sesshomaru had glanced over. The hanyou's eyes had been slightly glazed, and there had been colour in his cheeks. But he'd not, Sesshomaru had noticed, been as drunk as his speech had suggested.

"Having a drink," he'd replied dryly, turning back to the bar, the conversation ended as far as he had been concerned.

"You don't drink," Inuyasha had pointed out, taking it upon himself to climb clumsily onto the barstool next to Sesshomaru. "Not ever."

"And how would you know, hanyou?"

"Know you," Inuyasha had said simply with an exaggerated shrug, but hadn't seen fit to elaborate. "But if you changed or somethin'... you could come drink with us."

Inuyasha had waved a hand in a vague direction, and Sesshomaru's gaze had automatically followed; there, he'd seen what he believed was the fool's ningen friend, the monk, engaging in less than holy revelries with a few of the waitresses. He had appeared to be attempting to acquire their phone numbers.

"Bachelor party," Inuyasha had explained when Sesshomaru's upper lip curled in disgust. "S'fun."

"Then I won't keep you," he'd replied curtly. "Go have... fun.

"Naaaw," Inuyasha had drawled far too cheerfully, even going so far as to slap Sesshomaru on the back. "Can't leave you here when you look like a doggie who lost his bone, now, can I?" He'd laughed at his own joke, far too loudly for Sesshomaru's liking, completely missing his brother's glare.

"Inuyasha, I don't need -"

"Sure you do," the hanyou had interrupted. He'd leaned forward dangerously into Sesshomaru's personal space. "Somethin' happened to make you so miserable, eh? Talk to me." He'd seemed to struggle a moment for a reason. "S'what brothers are for, right?"

Sesshomaru remembered admiring the attempt, grudgingly. Possibly a symptom of the alcohol. Still, he'd tried to get rid of Inuyasha.

"What about your friend? Surely you don't plan to abandon him at his bachelor party."

Inuyasha had glanced over in the monk's direction and grinned. "Looks like he found some new friends. Sango gon' be [i]pissed[/i]." And he'd laughed in such an evil manner that Sesshomaru had approved; he'd felt himself unbending slightly.

"Come on," Inuyasha had said cajolingly. "What you got to lose? You complain about whatever asshole pissed you off, we have a few drinks, then I fuck off when we're done. Win-win, eh?"

Sesshomaru had considered. And then he'd doomed himself.

"All right," he'd finally said. "What are you having?"

In the tub, Sesshomaru opened his eyes and actually groaned. Whatever had happened the night previously after that fateful moment, he'd begun it. If he'd chased the hanyou away, none of this would have happened. He may not even have drunk himself into excess.

He could no longer enjoy his bath. Quickly and efficiently, he scrubbed shampoo and conditioner through his long hair, rinsed, then climbed out, slipping into the fluffy soft bathrobe provided by the hotel.

He then left the bathroom and its telling scents behind, crossing the suite to his bedroom, where he lifted a brush from the bedisde table and began to comb it methodically through his long hair. He was pleased when he met with hardly any tangles, but not surprised, despite how fine it was; even his hair dared not defy him by knotting.

There was a suit cover on the bed; with one hand, he unzipped it, casting a critical eye over the material inside. He'd called his assistant before the incident in the hall for exactly this purpose, and even he could admit she had done well. The material was soft and light as he ran his fingers over it, and of a superior cut. As he set the brush aside and began to dress, he made a mental note to give the girl a reward when he returned, for a good boss encouraged excellence as well as he punished incompetence, his father had always said.

When he was dressed, Sesshomaru studied himself in the floor length mirror. Despite not having been tailored specifically to his measurements, the suit fit and hung well on him, and he looked more like he was about to enter a boardroom meeting than embark on a journey around the aptly named Sin City with his delinquent of a brother, trying to retrace their drunken steps.

As satisfied as he could be, Sesshomaru checked his watch. Almost exactly one hour had passed; it was time to go and collect Inuyasha. With a mask of calm composure in place once again, Sesshomaru left his suite - pausing only to collect Inuyasha's belongings as a temporary peace offering - and descended in the elevator to his brother's floor.

Upon exiting, his hyper sensitive hearing immediately caught the hanyou's voice from further along the corridor.

"- like a man, Miroku!"

Sesshomaru frowned and walked across the plush carpet to Inuyasha's door, lifting a hand to knock.

"Ow! Damn it, Inuyasha, get off of my, you crazy -!" The monk's voice cut off with the sharp sound of flesh against flesh, followed by a moan - whether of despair or pleasure, Sesshomaru couldn't tell. Maybe of both, knowing what he did of the monk's lecherous habits.

Ordinarily, he would have found overhearing such sounds disturbing; today, his quick mind latched onto how he could use it. If an anullment wasn't optional, he could use Inuyasha's adultery for a quick exit, if adultery it was.

First things first, though. As Inuyasha's voice began to rise again, Sesshomaru knocked sharply on the door. "Iunyasha," he said curtly. "Cease whatever you are doing and open this door."

There was a pause in the room. "You're lucky, monk," Sesshomaru heard Inuyasha mutter darkly, then he raised his voice and called: "One minute!"

The daiyoukai bit the inside of his mouth to refrain from demanding Inuyasha hurry. If they were going to have to work together, their time would be more productive if they weren't antagonising each other, and so he dug deep for his patience and resolved to wait.


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

 

Straddling Miroku, one hand on the back of his head and grinding his face into the carpet, Inuyasha stared at the door. The hour was up already? Where the hell had the time gone?

He got up off the monk's back, dusting carpet fibres off his jeans. As Miroku struggled to get up, rubbing his jaw, Inuyasha pointed to the bedroom. "You go in there," he said firmly. "I don't need any smart-ass comments from you. I'm pissed enough that I might not even stop Sesshomaru gutting you like a damn fish."

Apparently his expression was something to behold, as Miroku fled without any protest whatsoever. Inuyasha took a deep breath and opened the door.

There was an awkward moment where their eyes met and held, then Sesshomaru stepped over the threshold and looked around. In spite of himself, Inuyasha felt a little agitated. The suite was small, probably around the size of Sesshomaru's sitting room and kitchen without all the rest, but he didn't have to look around like it was some cheap fleabag motel room and he couldn't be sure what was safe to touch. Why should they have paid for something bigger when all this room would be used for was some place to crash? It didn't have to be fancy.

But it still pissed him off.

"Sit down," he said tersely. "I'll grab a jacket."

He slipped into his own small bedroom and rummaged around in the wardrobe at the foot of the bed until he could pull out a jacket, sliding it on. Then he just waited for a moment, taking deep breaths. He was about to willingly put himself back in Sesshomaru's vicinity. All for his benefit in the long term though it may be, it still needed preparation. This day seriously sucked more than any he could remember, and he'd been through a lot of shit in his short life.

The only highlight thus far had been greeting Miroku with a fist to the stomach. Honestly, the bastard was lucky he hadn't beaten the ever-loving shit out of him for having that damn you-better-have-a-good-excuse grumpy look on his stupid face when he'd opened the door. How else could Inuyasha have possibly responded to it?

He'd breezed by without any kind of explanation and headed straight for the bathroom, where he'd thrown the expensive suit trousers on the floor like he would have his regular ratty jeans and stepped into the shower, setting the water at the highest temperature he could stand, which was probably just a few degrees away from melting his skin off.

He'd allowed the punishing heat to cleanse his skin for a while, then grabbed the shower gel. What followed had been the most intense scrubbing he'd ever given himself, carrying on long after his skin was red and he couldn't even smell himself over the overwhelming zesty freshness of the shower gel, let alone... anyone else.

Only then had he been able to relax. He'd turned the heat down and taken his time washing his hair, working the tangles out with his fingers, purposefully not thinking about the mess that waited outside the room. When he'd finally stepped out to dry himself and go get a change of clothes, the water had been getting chillier by the second, all the heat used up.

When he'd returned to the living room, he'd found Miroku ingesting caffeine and glaring at him. He ignored the latter in favour of getting himself some of the former, carrying it back into the living room and sitting on the sofa, taking a huge swallow. Miroku followed him.

"So what the hell was that?" the still grumpy monk had demanded.

Inuyasha had ignored him, drinking more precious coffee.

"Inuyasha! I'm talking to you!"

"Gimme a damn minute!" he'd snapped. "I had a really fucking rough night, so unless you want me to beat the crap out of you, get off my case."

"I've got a hangover, too, you know," Miroku griped. "You're not the only the only one who feels like they got hit by a truck. But _I'm_ not an asshole who punches people just because I feel like shit."

"It's a bit more serious than just me feeling like shit," Inuyasha had muttered, staring into his cup.

"What happened? And where the hell did you disappear to? I lost you on the way out of the casino. Didn't even get to go to a strip club thanks to you pulling a Houdini on me."

For a long, hard moment, Inuyasha had just stared at Miroku, weighing the options. When having an emotional and - for fuck's sake - _marital_ issue, the monk would never be his first port of call for a sounding board. The problems he unloaded on Miroku were guy problems - can't get laid, it itches really badly there, run out of beer. That sort of thing. This mess... this needed a woman's touch.

But he'd been sunk there. He couldn't have called Kagome. She'd have lectured him before she advised him, and he couldn't have dealt with that right then. Besides... if he'd told her where he was... eventually it would've gotten back to Sango... and much as he'd like to see Miroku bludgeoned to death, he knew some of the shit would have flown his way, too.

So, in light of his need to talk to _someone_ , he was left with only one option.

He'd sighed and held up his left hand.

It had taken Miroku, hungover as he was, a minute to realise what he was looking at. When he did, the look of incredulousness that swept over his face had almost been comical.

"Holy fucking shit," he'd breathed. "You got hitched? No way."

"Way," Inuyasha had countered. "And now I have to figure out what the fuck I'm gonna do about it."

"Well, there's anullment, obviously," the monk had said reasonably, before leaning forward with a grin on his face. "How drunk did you get last night? We weren't _that_ smashed when you vanished. And do I know this girl? Or did you meet her later?"

"Anullment," Inuyasha had said, trying to keep his friend on the right track. "How would I go about doing that, do you think?"

"Hell if I know. And don't avoid the questions. Are you embarrassed? Is she really ugly?"

"No... I wish. An ugly girl, I could deal with."

"What is it, then?" Miroku had pressed. "Stripper? Hooker? Geriatric? Or, worst case scenario, someone who claims you're in love? Doesn't want to end the marriage, huh?"

"No! None of those!"

"Then who the hell is this girl? I'm gonna find out eventually, so you might as well just tell me."

The only reason Inuyasha had finally decided to tell him was because that was most likely true; the bastard had a way of finding out his secrets. He let out a long, long sigh. "Ok, fine," he'd said. "I apparently ran into Sesshomaru last night and..." He hadn't been able to finish the sentence. It gave him the creeps.

"What does Sesshomaru have to do with --" Then Miroku's eyes had widened as his brain caught up. "Oh, hell no. You're joking." Inuyasha's expression had not been one of mirth, but despte that, Miroku had collapsed into peals of uncontrolled laughter.

"Sesshomaru?" he'd gasped. "Sesshomaru? Really? Fucking Sesshomaru?"

The rest had been turned into nonsense gibberish by laughter, and Inuyasha had held his temper in check for almost a whole minute. Any and all ass-kicking that had followed had been thoroughly deserved.

He came back to the present and realised he'd been daydreaming rather than mentally preparing himself, and had been doing so for who knew how long. Stuffing some money in his pocket, he made his way back into the living room.

Sesshomaru hadn't sat down, but he turned to look at Inuyasha as he emerged. "I'd begun to wonder if you had left via the fire escape." He checked his watch. "It's already after two p.m. We should hurry if we hope to cover much ground."

The hanyou shrugged. "You say that, but do we actually have any leads?"

"Yes, actually. I did some thinking during the last hour and happened to dimly remember us running into each other in the hotel bar."

Inuyasha watched him for a moment, while his brother stared impassively back. Sesshomaru had put an odd emphasis on the word 'dimly'; something was a little off. But for the sake of not turning it into another mad dash through the hallways, Inuyasha bit his tongue and didn't press the metaphorical button.

"Right, then. We'll start at the bar."

\---

At almost three in the afternoon, there were a surprising amount of depressed-looking businessmen already well into their binges in the bar, descending lower and lower into their own personal pit of despair.

At least, that's what it seemed they were doing to Inuyasha. Sitting at the bar with Sesshomaru, he made sure to place himself as far away from them as possible in case it somehow infected him; the feeling of abject misery and complete failure he got from these people seemed almost tangible.

Sesshomaru wasted no time with small-talk once he had the bartender's attention. "Were you on shift around nine p.m yesterday evening?"

"I was," the man confirmed. "Anything I can get you?"

Inuyasha, had who already been looking at the bottles lined up behind him, raised his hand. "Yeah, I'll have --"

"No, you won't," Sesshomaru cut in, shooting him a look. "I believe you've already had quite enough alcohol for this trip, don't you?"

Because he reluctantly conceded the point, he didn't bother arguing, though it annoyed him to be denied like a child in public. He drummed his claws irritably on the bar while the older youkai turned back to the bartender.

"Do you happen to remember seeing either us?"

The man frowned as he looked between them. "As a matter of fact, I do. Ended up having to ask you to leave."

That caught Inuyasha's attention. "Why?"

"Well, you started off well enough. Sat and talked, drank your drinks. But you started getting noisier and noisier as the night went on."

Sesshomaru frowned. "Are you saying we were unruly patrons?"

The bartender rubbed his chin. "Not as such. But you talked louder as you got more intoxicated, and you started laughing, and generally disturbing the other customers, so I was forced to politely request you leave."

"Did you happen to see which way we went after we left?"

"Nope."

"We didn't give any indication at all of where we might be heading next?"

"Look," the man said, leaning on the bar. "Once a customer leaves, I don't pay them much mind, since I have other customers to look after. We have CCTV to take care of that. Sorry I couldn't help you folks more, but that's all I know. Excuse me."

He moved along the bar to take an order, and the brothers turned to look at each other. Sesshomaru spoke first.

"We should see about acquiring the footage from last night," he said. "It's possible there might be some sort of clue to give us our next step."

"Isn't that kind of thing off limits to hotel guests?"

"I don't care." The older youkai's tone was matter-of-fact. "We have nothing else to go on at this point, so I intend to pursue it."

The hanyou waved a hand placatingly. "Fine, fine. We'll just have to figure out some way to get it, then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haven't been here for a damn long time... Too many places to upload to, I kinda let this one slide... But I just got 12 hours sleep in a single block, so I'm alert like I've drunk a gallon of coffee and have absolutely NOTHING to do... so upading everything here is what I'm gonna do.
> 
> Now I just have to get used to how this upload system works again. x.x
> 
> Honestly, though, you're better off following me here: http://kaytla.livejournal.com/ More content, and I've arranged it to so that it's ridiculously easy to navigate.


	7. Seven

Ten minutes later, they were standing in the spacious hotel lobby, with its high ceiling and marble floor, and the discreet staff moving quietly to and fro. Inuyasha wasn't interested in all that, however; his focus was on the current plan: get access to the security footage... somehow.

While he wasn't exactly sold on the idea of the discs giving them solid leads, it was the only course of action they had, so he was going to follow it until something else came along... and who knew, maybe they'd finally catch a break. He could use one after all the shit he'd been through in the last twenty-four hours, couldn't he? Wasn't there someone, somewhere, taking note of all this who could throw him a bone?

It wasn't likely, he had to admit. Which meant he had to make his own good luck. That in mind, he turned to his asshole of a brother, glaring up at him while Sesshomaru completely ignored him, instead choosing to gaze around the lobby like it was so much more interesting. And knowing the bastard, he probably thought it was, too.

"Will you just _listen_ to my idea? You're such an ignorant jackass."

Sesshomaru spared him a brief glance. "Fine. What do you plan to do?"

Inuyasha folded his arms. "Well, as far as I'm aware, it's illegal to view hotel security discs and stuff, right? So --"

"An accurate assumption," Sesshomaru said dryly.

"If you're just gonna be a bitch, you don't get to interrupt."

"If you didn't want my input, why did you phrase it as a question?"

Inuyasha clenched his jaw. "All right, from now on, consider all my questions rhetorical. And don't fucking interrupt, got it?" The hanyou chose to accept Sesshomaru's sigh as assent and carried on. "So like I was saying... it's illegal to do that. So we're gonna have to sneak in to get them. But it's probably gonna take a while to find the right disc, so..."

He trailed off, ignoring the withering stare he was receiving from his brother. That really would be difficult. They could probably tempt the guards out somehow, but what if it took ages to find the right disc? If the guards came back before whichever one of them was looking was done, they'd be caught redhanded. He really didn't want to have to explain that one to hotel management.

"We could use signals, I suppose..." he continued, slowly while he worked it out in his head. He didn't know what signals they could use just yet, but he was sure he'd think of something. "One of us lures the guards away, then the other goes in to search. And if something goes wrong, we can --"

"Will you please grow up?" Sesshomaru cut in irritably. "Listening to this prattle is fast becoming very annoying."

That brought Inuyasha up short. "Prattle?" he repeated incredulously. "I haven't heard you offering up any brilliant ideas yourself."

"You are making this unnecessarily complicated," the older youkai said curtly. "You _do_ realise this is not a spy movie, don't you?"

Inuyasha ground his teeth together for a moment to stop himself hauling off and punching him right in the middle of the lobby. More drama he didn't need right now, no matter how satisfying it would feel.

"And I suppose you have a better idea," he managed through his teeth.

"As a matter of fact, I do. I plan to do this the simple, efficient way," Sesshomaru said over his shoulder as he turned away from Inuyasha, tracking the movements of a short, stout little man waddling toward the lobby desk. "Stay here and don't interfere."

As he strode off, Inuyasha was left growling after him. Pissed off, he threw himself gracelessly into one of the plush chairs placed strategically around the room, glaring at his brother's back with as much malice as he could muster. He really wanted this plan to fail, whatever it was. That'd show the bastard up for always taking control of the situation and making sure things happened his way. Maybe his plan wasn't brilliant, but it didn't deserve to be shot down cold like that.

He rested his chin on his hand and drummed the claws of the other irritably against the arm of his chair. Sesshomaru was now talking to the little man who'd come into view moments before. Evidently he was more important than he looked; his stuck-up brother wouldn't have bothered with him otherwise. They were too far away to hear and he'd never been all that good at reading lips, so all he could make out about the discussion was that the little human agreed a whole hell of a lot with whatever Sesshomaru was saying. Inuyasha suspected that had more to do with his money and the fact that he was fucking scary and psychotic than with him being right.

Finally, after a good five minutes of this continuous and enthusiastic nodding, the little man turned to use the front desk's phone, and Sesshomaru walked away and back toward him. Inuyasha stood up and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"The footage will be delivered to my hotel suite at the earliest possible convenience," Sesshomaru said as stopped near Inuyasha.

Inuyasha couldn't help his eyebrows lifting up toward his hairline. "And how did you manage to pull that off?"

Sesshomaru ignored him. Inuyasha stepped closer. "Oi, I'm talking to you! Don't act like you can't hear me, damn it."

"I'm sorry, I thought you said I had to assume every question you asked was rhetorical," his brother replied blandly.

Inuyasha balled up his fists, once again repressing the urge to hit him. "Aren't we supposed to be working together here? If you keep pissing me off, I'm gonna fucking hurt you."

"You could try," came the reply in Sesshomaru's most obviously unconcerned voice, which had Inuyasha's hackles rising before he caught himself and managed to force himself to calm down. "I am heading back to my suite," Sesshomaru continued. "You may wait there until the security discs arrive so long as you can be quiet."

Inuyasha thought about it. Did he really want to spend that long tiptoeing around Sesshomaru's temper? He knew first hand how bad it could get when everything was normal, but the two of them were already stressed. It might be better off for him to wait in his own hotel room...

...but if he did that, he'd have Miroku to contend with. Who, while being his best friend, was still not the type of person who could be supportive without getting a whole lot of mocking out the way first, and Inuyasha just didn't have the patience to put up with that crap today. It was a sad and strange day when Sesshomaru's company was preferable to Miroku's.

He supposed he could avoid both of them by just going out, but without a phone or wallet, and carrying a new, healthy distrust for Vegas, he felt it was in his best interests to stay in the hotel. And that made Sesshomaru his best choice, bizarre as that seemed to him.

Decided, for better or worse, on where he was headed, he jogged to catch up to Sesshomaru, who had crossed the lobby while he'd been thinking and now stood waiting for the elevator. The doors opened just as he reached them and, after waiting patiently for the other passengers to get out, they stepped in together and the doors closed out the quiet buzz of conversation.

"Are you getting off at your floor?" Sesshomaru asked as he pressed the button for the top.

Inuyasha shook his head, sliding his hands into his pockets again. "Nah. Might as well wait with you, see the footage as soon as possible." Sesshomaru nodded, and Inuyasha waited a few moments. "So how _did_ you make that happen so fast?"

Sesshomaru looked at him and said simply: "Money."

Inuyasha realised he should have known. His brother was obscenely rich, even when compared to their father, a highly successful and influential businessman. Inuyasha himself was pretty comfortable, with a good job and the inheritance his dad had given him when he turned eighteen, but nothing like Sesshomaru. He'd only seen the... estate was the only word he could thnk of, that Sesshomaru lived in a few times, but it had made even a cynical hanyou's jaw drop.

But just because it was a reasonable answer didn't mean he couldn't rib Sesshomaru. After all, his brother was the one who was an annoying prick first.

"It's more like you used the promise of sexual favours, right?" He grinned widely. "It's ok, you can admit --"

He was cut off when Sesshomaru's hand suddenly shot out and drove into his stomach, forcing all the air out of Inuyasha's lungs in a big whooshing sound. He doubled over a bit, coughing and trying to suck air back in at the same time. And with the way his abs were throbbing, he was gonna end up with a bruise.

"The fuck was that for?" he demanded, when he could breathe again.

"Don't try my patience," Sesshomaru replied calmly. "I have precious little of it at the best of times, so I would advise you to tread carefully, Inuyasha."

Not in a position to retaliate, and not liking his chances of winning a fight when trapped in a box, Inuyasha forced himself to stay quiet and fixed his eyes on the lit up numbers above the door as the floors changed and wondered if he'd made the worst choice possible when he decided to follow Sesshomaru. They hadn't even made it to his brother's suite yet and already the first punch had been thrown. How were they going to make it through however many hours it would take to get those discs?

It was going to be a long, tense wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geez, it's been so long since I updated a chapter fic that wasn't Through The Well... and it's been even longer for this fic. This wouldn't even be here if I hadn't started listening to Marry You by Bruno Mars (good song, you should check it out if you don't know it) and it made me think of this, and then somehow, I was writing it... and here we are. xD
> 
> I'll say Happy Halloween now because I doubt I'll manage to think of any holiday-themed ficness to write before then... not and actually manage to write it, too XD Have a good time <3
> 
> Hope you enjoyed ^^


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